Game puzzle



May 22, 1934. E. c. SCHACHT GAME PUZZLE Filed March 23, 1935 Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STTES PATET GAME PUZZLE Elmer C. Schacht, Troy, N. Y. Application March '23, 1933, Serial No. 662,325

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a game puzzle.

Puzzles known as jig saw puzzles have been in use for a great many years, these puzzles usually consisting of an illustration or design 5 mounted on a flat backing which is ordinarily on card board or wood. Such puzzles are cut by means of a die or scroll saw into numerous small segments or pieces. These segments or pieces are of irregular outline, i. e., have irregular perimeters or peripheries and the game consists in correctly matching up the pieces so as to re-assemble or restore the picture in its original condition.

Jig saw puzzles are flat, that is, the surface of the picture or other design which is cut out for re-assembly is in one plane. The essence or purpose of the jig saw puzzle game consists solely in matching the peripheral edges of the individual pieces so that when the puzzle is completed its entire surface lies fiat and in one plane.

In addition to the usual type of jig saw puzzle, as just described, there have been provided jig saw puzzles cut from a plaque or sheet having an illustration embossed on its upper surface.

In other words, in these puzzles, the illustration or design of the puzzle is in relief. Despite the introduction of the relief feature to puzzles of the jig saw type, these puzzles are essentially of the jig saw variety, since re-assembly can be and ordinarily is accomplished by correctly matching the peripheries of the individual pieces instead of matching the pieces according to their relief characteristics. In other words, reassembly of the pieces can be accomplished without regard for or without reference to the relief feature. As a matter of fact, jig saw puzzles of the relief type can be effectively re-assembled when the puzzle is face downward because the peripheries of the segmental pieces can be 4 matched with no consideration whatever being given to the variation in level of their top surfaces.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a game puzzle of the relief type wherein the individual pieces must be matched according to their relief characteristics.

The present invention is fundamentally different from the flat jig saw puzzle and the embossed jig saw puzzle described above, in that the upper surface of the original plaque or design which is cut for re-assembly is not flat but is in relief. That is, the top or upper surface of my puzzle consists of a series of different surface levels according to the configuration or design of the relief. The segments or individual pieces are so cut that re-assembly into the original design can only be accomplished when the puzzle is facing upwardly and by correctly matching the surface levels of adjoining segments.

My puzzle is also distinguished from both of the types of prior art puzzles discussed above in that the segments or individual pieces are so cut that their base peripheries provide no clue whatever as to the manner of re-assembling the puzzle.

For example, all, or substantially all, of the pieces of my game puzzle are so cut that their base peripheries are formed of straight lines or of curved lines of equal radii. The individual pieces are preferably exact duplicates insofar as the peripheries of their bases, i. e., their edge contours, are concerned. Stated another way the corresponding corner angles of the respective pieces are equal.

It results from gang SEW.

Other duplicate peripheral base forms such as equilateral triangles or diamonds may, of course, be used. If the pieces are to be separated by punching dies, this may be done by employing a gang die having straight or curved cutting edges, as the case may be.

In either event, the puzzles may be out within a minimum time and at low cost because expensively designed dies or scroll sawing does not have to be resorted to in separating the individual pieces.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the attached drawing,

wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a puzzle formed according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the puzzle taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

The plaque bearing a design on its upper surface and which comprises the original single piece of the puzzle may be molded or die pressed from rubber, artificial wood, papier mach, plaster of Paris, compressed granulated cork or similar materials, the design or illustration of the puzzle being formed thereon during the molding or die pressing operation.

may be suitably colored in various colors or the entire design may be in a single color.

After the design has been formed on the plaque, it may be cut into segments or individual pieces indicated by the numeral 5.

The individual pieces 5 are illustrated in the drawing as being square with side walls 6. However, it will be understood that the bases of the individual pieces may be of any desired perimeter or shape. However, the base or edge perimeter of each piece will preferably be of the same shape or perimeter.

The plaque from which the individual pieces 5 are cut is flat on its lower or under surface and therefore the individual pieces 5 will have flat under surfaces but their top or upper surfaces 8 will vary according to the relief design or embossing of the plaque with the result that the upper edges 9 of the different pieces will be of varying contours in a vertical plane.

The illustration or design and the cutting thereof should preferably be so arranged that only two pieces 5 will have the upper edges 9 of one of their respective sides 6 correspond in relief or contour in a vertical plane.

I have found that the successful working or re-assembly of my puzzle affords much more enjoyment and requires more skill and ingenuity than the re-assembling of an embossed jig saw puzzle, because of the fact that in the latter puzzles definite and material assistance is provided in the interlocking or irregularly cut edges of the segments. In my puzzle, the worker does not have this feature to depend upon since corresponding corner angles of the respective pieces are equal.

In my puzzle, the bases of at least two of the segments have identical perimeters in order to prevent re-assembly from the reverse side, but this cannot be considered as the only criterion which distinguishes the puzzle from the embossed jig saw type. Forv example, an embossed j g saw puzzle could be created, all of the perimeters of the bases of whose segments are of irregular contour capable of being assembled from the rear, except two which could be equidimensional squares of such contrasting colors that their correct locations would be readily apparent when the color of the adjoining segments was considered. The essence of my invention is that reliance cannot be placed, when successfully solving the puzzle, in the fitting of adjacent segmental base perimeters but, owing to the unique design, must instead be accomplished by matching top surface levels of the segments 5 in relief. This is in direct contrast with the embossed jig saw type where all or substantially all of the pieces are designed to have differently shaped bases so that re-assembly can be accomplished or is materially-assisted by correctly matching the" edge contours without regard to the elevations of the top surfaces of the segments.

The puzzles of my invention are sometimes made in one solid color so that there is no clue provided in the matching of the segments 5 except characteristics of the top or relief surface 8. In other varieties, the top surface of the relief is appropriately painted or colored according to the design so that re-assembly is accomplished by matching the top surface elevations with the assistance of the colored design.

The relief designs are executed on the flat, concave or convex top surfaces of a sheet-like body, having a flat lower or bottom surface 7. The puzzle segments 5 can be made of any desired thickness and size.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the form shown in the drawing and described in the specification and that the examples of the form of the device and the method of forming the same which have been given do not include all of the uses of which the device is capable or by which the method may be followed; also, that the phraseology employed in the specification is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

I claim:

1. A game puzzle comprising a body of material, one surface of which bears a design in relief and the other surface of which is fiat, said body being formed of a plurality of pieces, substantially all of the pieces having base surfaces identical in shape and bounded by straight lines, the relief and lines of separation of the pieces being normally so arranged that the respective sides of any one piece will each be matched in contour in a vertical plane by a side of only one other piece, and the pieces being of such small size that assembly can be accomplished only by comparing the vertical contours and relief of the relief surfaces of the pieces.

2. A game puzzle comprising a body of material, one surface of which bears a design in relief and the other surface of which is fiat, said body being formed of a plurality of pieces, substantially all of the pieces having base surfaces bounded by straight lines and the corresponding corner angles of the respective pieces being equal, the relief and lines of separation of the pieces being normally so arranged that the respective sides of any one piece will each be matched in contour in a vertical plane by a side of only one other piece, and the pieces being of such small size that assembly can be accomplished only by comparing the vertical contours and relief of the relief surfaces of the pieces.

ELMER C. SCHACHT. 

